2002

Stintzi, A., Weber, H., Reymond, P., Browse, J. and Farmer, E.E. (2001) Plant defense in the absence of jasmonic acid: the role of cyclopentenones. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 98, 12837-12842. Details. See commentary by Gregg A. HoweConfirms that the oxylipin signature concept is correct and shows that OPDA and dinor-OPDA are the key compounds necessary for resistance to an insect and a pathogen. Suggests that cyclopentenone jasmonates might have some electrophilic properties in vivo.

2001

2000

Vollenweider, S., Weber, H., Stolz, S., Chételat, A. and Farmer, E.E. (2000) Fatty acid ketodienes and fatty acid ketotrienes : Michael addition acceptors that accumulate in wounded and diseased Arabidopsis leaves. Plant J. 24, 467-476. We show that a variety of pathogenesis-associated lipids including fatty acid ketotrienes activate the GST1 gene in Arabidopsis and that this is structure-dependent. The structure in question is the a,b-unsaturated carbonyl group. Introduces a protocol with which to volatilize malondialdehyde

Reymond, P., Weber H., Damond M. and Farmer E.E. (2000) Differential gene expression in response to mechanical wounding and insect feeding in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 12, 707-719. Details This microarray analysis of responses to herbivory in Arabidopsis suggested an important role for jasmonates in gene expression following insect damage. Interestingly, genes that are strongly upregulated in mechanically crushed tissues and also induced during dehydration were less activated by insects. The implication is that insect feeding strategies might minimise the cut leaf surface exposed to the air. This, of course, might help explain why insects often cut circles and semi-circles in leaves.New (March 2002): Selected as New Hot Paper by ISI Essential Science Indicator here Farmer, E.E. (2000) Adding injury to insult:pathogen detection and responses. Genome Biology 1, reviews 1012.1-1012.3

1999

Weber, H., Chételat, A., Caldelari, D. and Farmer, E.E. (1999) Divinyl ether fatty acid synthesis in late blight diseased potato leaves. Plant Cell 11, 485-493. Many studies on antibiotics (phytoalexins) made in potato in response to the devastating pathogen Phytophora infestans have concentrated on tubers. We looked at the primary infection sites, leaves, and were surprised to find very high levels of fatty acid divinyl ethers which we describe as "phytoalexin-like compounds". Introduces the term "late-phase oxylipins" for oxylipins made or accumulating at late stages in pathogenesis.

1997

Weber, H., Vick, B.A. and Farmer, E.E. (1997) Dinor-oxo-phytodienoic acid: a new hexadecanoid signal in the jasmonate family. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 10473-10478. Introduces the concept of the "oxylipin signature" whereby more than one jasmonate family member is responsible for the fine-tuning of gene expression and that different jasmonates might play diferent biological roles. Presents a new method for the discovery and quantification of jasmonates and describes a new sixteen carbon jasmonate, dinor-OPDA. Farmer, E.E. (1997) New fatty acid-based signals: A lesson from the plant world. (Perspective) Science 276, 912-913.